expiationlogs | {Mini Event} Day of Devotion

DAY OF DEVOTION

This is an entirely opt-in very casual event that has nothing to do with overarching storyline and is just an additional introductory log, and a means for characters to meet. We hope you've all had a very happy Valentine's Day week however you've chosen to spend it!

SCARVES OF LOVE

The season of affection and love of all kinds falls upon Aldrip in the wake of their festivities for Those Who Were There. As part of the celebration, what's referred to as the 'Day of Devotion,' local merchants carry a variety of wares, but none so coveted as their multicoloured scarves available in a variety of prints, designs, and fabrics. Perhaps consider picking one up and giving it to someone who's important to you. No money? No problem! Whilst Aldrip doesn't exactly work on a layaway system or akin to, you'll find the mercantile business owners are quite open to trades and other means of bartering. Maybe they'll give out a scarf or two in agreement for running some errands...

Lucky recipients of these very fashionable scarves will find themselves suspiciously open to sharing positive, warm and fuzzy, or perhaps downright amorous feelings toward the person who gifted them the scarf to begin with, regardless of whether you've known them for years or even just a couple of weeks. But don't worry—the feelings are temporary! Once the Day of Devotion comes to a natural conclusion, your feelings will return to something like normalcy and you'll still wind up with a new fashion accessory. Of course, if you've always been amorous with that special someone, you likely won't notice any sort of change.

Take the opportunity to embrace the celebration, maybe embrace one another a little bit, too, and begin forming some potentially everlasting bonds with others.

BRING PROTECTION

Not everyone is choosing to celebrate the Day of Devotion in the same way. Due to the heightened popularity of the pretty scarves, some of Aldrip's jewellers have been bitten by the green bug of jealousy. In an attempt to compete with the sales of scarves, jewellers are advertising pendants, brooches, and other assorted charms that are meant to serve as warding and protective trinkets. What are they protecting one from? It's difficult to say and the merchants aren't inclined to give a straight answer. But whether you need protection from love, personal feelings, or perhaps something more physical, they've got you covered!

If you choose to give these amulets to others, recipients of them and their related will be compelled to share their true feelings with those around them in addition to the person who gave them the protective charms. This sounds like it could be a good thing, however, that means it covers the array of positive, negative, and every shade in between, without a filter in place. Consider these accessories a potential test of friendships, familial relationships, and more.

Like the scarves, this need and desire to be truthful with your feelings will be temporary, lasting until the Day of Devotion celebration is over. But at least you'll be protected. From something. Maybe. Probably. Or not!

FLOWERS FOR ALDRIP

By now, you may be well familiar with Aldrip's variety of fields that are filled with vegetables and fruits that grace the dinner tables of the town and local cuisine. During the Day of Devotion and weeks leading up to it, you'll find that they're clearing another field and preparing the soil. What for, you won't find out until the actual day of the celebration. Once it arrives, there's a collection of simple carts filled with flowering plants. Locals and newly-arrived alike are welcome to lend a hand in planting them along the neatly tilled rows.

You may find plants that resemble or are identical to plants from your home world. You may find plants that you've never seen in your life. They come in a variety of colours and are accompanied by a lightly pleasing scent that shouldn't be too overpowering, though may still disturb those with allergies.

All who help out with the planting, watering, and other tending, will be rewarded with a bouquet of flowers that can be passed onto others to show your appreciation and other forms of affection. You may even find yourself making a good and lasting impression on the locals by offering some assistance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[An adopted heir... that can be even more pressure.]

Don't we all... [She can remember how it felt when she realized that the respectability of Chalphy lay in her hands, and then when she faced the prospect of leaving there to become princess of another country. Daunting, to say the least.] How do you feel about the prospect?

[ Marianne turns the soil in her hands absently. When she takes up the role, she'll have to look after her territory, do right by her people, and make tough calls when called for. It's hard to picture herself as that kind of decisive leader. ]

It's a little daunting to be honest.

[ It's not something she would say in front of the stern Margrave, but she feels she can confide this much in Ethlyn. As a noblewoman, there must be similar expectations on her. ]

Have you ever felt it's too much?

[Ethlyn wants to give Marianne a good answer to this question. The answer, of course, is yes. Of course it does--to be responsible for the lives of others should weigh on a person. And while in an official capacity, Ethlyn's duties are to support her husband, in practice that means acting as a confidante, an adviser, and sharing the burdens of his decisions.]

I have. [She runs the blade of a tulip leaf through her fingers.] And I think that's a good thing. It's a poor ruler who doesn't feel the weight of their burdens from time to time... as I have seen myself.

[She can't forget how Agustria's king drove his own country into the ground within a year of taking the throne, and everything--everyone--he dragged with him in his fall.]

But there's a balance--an indecisive leader is just as dangerous as one who doesn't care. Your decisions should be considered with the weight they need, but you have to be resolute once you've made them.

[ Marianne's hands go still as she contemplates Ethlyn's words. Leadership has always seemed like an immense burden to her, but if someone put together like Ethlyn still feels the pressure from time to time, then maybe it's alright for her to be as well. Only a poor ruler would never feel the weight of their decisions. What's important is how to carry that weight, isn't it? ]

I think you're right. The great leaders I know have all been resolute.

[ She's never seen Margrave Edmund falter when it comes to making difficult decisions. Her house leader, too. As easygoing as Claude can be, he doesn't back away when things get serious. ]

I wonder how I can build that confidence.

[That's an interesting question, and Ethlyn sits back on her heels, wondering how to answer. She learned it from her own father, watching him take the information he had, then stand and act. But she can also see the other side of it--if a seed of doubt takes hold, it can grow into fear, watching a resolute father and wondering how you could ever live up to him. It didn't happen to Ethlyn or her brother, but with uncertainty already from having been adopted, she thinks she can understand Marianne's difficulties.]

It takes practice. And... to be honest, it can take making a mistake or two. [Mistakes can be terrifying when you know other people could pay for your error, perhaps with their lives. Perhaps your own....

But there are plenty of smaller, less dire ways to mess up.] When something goes wrong, it leaves you with no alternative but to pick up the pieces and persevere through it. And when you care about not making that mistake again, you find the resolve to keep it from happening again.

Right...we can only improve through experience.

[ Everyone started somewhere and made mistakes, though it's hard for Marianne to picture the shrewd and indomitable Margrave Edmund as someone who may have once faltered on his way to becoming the man he is now.

Like the budding plants she was setting into the earth, she has yet to bloom. It will take time, and practice, but she'll never grow if she doesn't try. ]

Thank you, Ethlyn. I think talking about this helps.

[Ethlyn nods, pleased. She's glad to have given a listening ear to Marianne--it's a worry that all sensible nobles ought to have at one time or another, but without anyone to share it with, it can grow out of control.]

Of course. [She gives Marianne a friendly smile.] We can talk about it anytime you like. I had my older brother, and our friends in the children of the other great houses, so there was always someone we could talk to, or write to, or even just sit with quietly knowing that they had the same problems. If you didn't have that growing up, I'm happy to help make up for it now.

It sounds as though you had a lively household. I had a quiet childhood.

[ She's glad for Ethlyn. It was just her and her parents, living their isolated lives. Then, just her alone. There was a good reason for it, but she wonders what it would have been like to have someone to lean on. Even now, she's scared of getting too close to others in fear of bringing misfortune to them. She doesn't want to burden Ethlyn like that, so she can only agree to a small thing. ]

I don't want to trouble you with my problems. If we could sit and have tea on occasion, that would be more than enough for me. I'd be happy to lend an ear to your troubles as well.

[ She doesn't know if she can be of any help, but she'll try. ]

Yes, you could definitely call it that. [A lively household--Ethlyn grins. Yes, Chalphy certainly was that. What with her hotblooded brother, and her father who had retired from being hotblooded, and herself running around trying to set things in order when she realized it was down to her to do that job.] It was good preparation for the hurlyburly of life--and battle.

And I don't mind being troubled with problems. I wouldn't have become a healer if I did. [Her smile softens.] But I'll be sure to take you up on that, now and again. I think we could understand each other very well.

[Both being nobles, both knowing responsibility and wanting to carry it well.]

You're a healer as well? We have that in common.

[ Despite being farther away from home than she's ever been, Marianne feels like she's found a bit of a kindred soul in Ethlyn. It's strangely easy to talk to her, and she can't say the same for everyone given how shy she is around people. Perhaps it's because they've been burdened by similar roles and expectations that there's an implicit understanding between them.

She smiles a delicate smile in return. ]

Yes, I think so, too. I look forward to it.

{Mini Event} Day of Devotion

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